6.1 Physical Geography of Latin America

Notes

Latin America includes Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and South America, where Spanish, Portuguese and French are the main languages.

• The Andes run along South America's west coast; they are the longest continental mountain range in the world. Aconcagua in Argentina is the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere.
• The Amazon River carries more water than any other river. Its basin holds the world's largest tropical rainforest.
• Other features: the Orinoco and Paraná rivers, the grassy Pampas of Argentina, Patagonia in the far south, the Atacama Desert in Chile (one of the driest places on Earth), Lake Titicaca between Peru and Bolivia.
• Sierra Madre ranges frame the Mexican plateau. The Isthmus of Panama links North and South America; the Panama Canal cuts across it.